THE JOURNAL
Meet UNIMATIC, The Italian Brand With A Stripped-Back Vision Of Vintage Watch Design
For 20 years, until its closure in 2017, the Colette boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris stood out as the most influential fashion retailer of its time. The curation of products and quality of collaborations on show were diverse and often unexpected. Chief among its fashionable patrons was the fashion designer Mr Karl Lagerfeld, who famously claimed that, “It’s the only shop where I go because they have things no one else has.” Had Lagerfeld browsed Colette’s watch selection in the years before its closure, he might have stumbled upon a military-style dive watch that was even more stripped back than most: the Modello Uno from Unimatic.
The prestigious Parisian store was the first retailer to stock Unimatic, a passion project conceived by Messrs Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato while studying industrial design in Milan. “At school, we weren’t asked to work on watches, but we were always collecting watches on eBay and the like, buying 200 euro Seikos and whatever we could afford back in the day,” says Moro. “We would make constructive criticism about the design, the fonts, the curves and the thickness, always thinking about what we would do. We continued until we found someone who was able to help us design a fully custom watch, which became the very first Modello Uno.”
This debut effort also laid the groundwork for Unimatic’s aesthetic approach, which was inspired by classical watch design, but made in a modern way, suitable for a contemporary look. Proud of their product, Moro and Nunziato put together a dream list of the coolest stores in the world, the best of the best.
“We were very naïve, but Colette got back to us and we set up a meeting,” Moro says. “This was the first time I was trying to convince someone that our product was good and it was the best customer we could ever have. I was very anxious and I’m sure I did a terrible job.”
It would be hard to argue against the watches themselves. Besides the aesthetic appeal of Unimatic, style isn’t the only minimalism at play. There is a compelling value argument to be made, too. The base unit of measurement for a Swiss tool watch with a pedigree is thousands of pounds. Unimatic brings that into the hundreds. For one thing, the watches are proudly made in Italy, not Switzerland, and the movements used aren’t painstakingly assembled in-house affairs, but rather proven performers from companies such as Seiko.
“Colette took two pieces on consignment. It sold them the day it got them and the next day it ordered four. It sold the four and then it was eight. So it went until we ran out of stock”
Luckily for Moro, his watches offered a compelling combination of classic style and contemporary cool and didn’t need an over-the-top sales spiel to win people over. “Colette took two pieces on consignment,” he says. “It sold them the day it got them and the next day it called and ordered four. It sold the four and then it was eight. So it went until we ran out of stock. It was Colette’s idea to collaborate on a limited edition, so it could have a stock of 50 pieces. So we did the first collab with Colette. It was very successful and we continue it until today.”
Moro doesn’t just see this as the first step on the road to success. He sees it as the critical step. “Colette is maybe the reason why we are here today,” he says. “It was the tipping point.” While the collaboration with Colette was the first, it certainly wasn’t the last. Since then, Unimatic has racked up an impressive array of limited editions and has worked with brands such as the streetwear icon Undefeated, workwear designer Nigel Cabourn and Nasa. Even the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants has appeared on a Unimatic watch. It’s testament to the power of the core Unimatic designs that each collaborative partnership can bring a fresh and, sometimes, radically different take on the same fundamental watch.
“From the case to the dial, to the hands, Unimatic watches have clear roots in classic, vintage design. It has just been stripped of its superfluousness”
Mr William Massena, the collector and industry veteran behind Massena LAB, has worked with Unimatic on several occasions. It was the cult Japanese brand Maison Mihara Yasuhiro that first brought Unimatic to his attention and he quickly realised the attention was warranted.
“At first glance, Unimatic watches, due to their minimalist aesthetic, appear modern, even futuristic,” Massena says. “However, if you take a closer look, every element of vintage watch design is present. It has just been stripped of its superfluousness. From the case to the dial, to the hands, Unimatic watches have clear roots in classic, vintage design.”
This visual appeal is backed up by a smart proposition. “They are at an approachable price point, especially to younger collectors,” Massena says. “It’s a quality, durable watch with an original and elevated design. Plus, they have a certain cachet right now. It’s hard to put a price on cool.”